Former Miss North Dakota pleads guilty to day care fraud in Minnesota
A former beauty pageant winner, worship pastor, and Christian performer pleaded guilty to committing day care fraud at three businesses in Minnesota.
Live Your Best Retirement
Fun • Funds • Fitness • Freedom
Jill Mertens, 43, admitted to fraudulently receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program, which was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.
'We had no idea she was committing any fraud. We didn't have any idea the day care was in any financial hardship.'
In 2016, Mertens registered three day cares she owned: The Tree of Life Academy in Ramsey and the Creative Stars Academy in Kasson and Rochester.
State data showed that the centers received numerous complaints and violations in recent years.
She received about $425,000 from the program to pay for 23 teachers who did not work at the day cares. She also inflated hours for the employees that she did have.
Mertens won Miss North Dakota and competed in the Miss America pageant in 2001. She went on to become a worship pastor and recorded a contemporary/Christian/gospel album that was released in 2011.
KARE-TV spoke to one couple that said they had prepaid for day care services at one of Mertens' centers and were cheated when she declared bankruptcy and sold off the centers.
"We had no idea she was committing any fraud. We didn't have any idea the day care was in any financial hardship," Joe McInerney of Mantorville said. "Hopefully, she has some time to think about what she did and pay back her debts."
Mertens agreed to pay back the funds she stole in her plea deal and was released on supervised release.
RELATED: Woman pleads guilty to day care fraud — and also ran Feeding Our Future scam and autism center
A KARE reporter noted in the news video that the plea deal included immunity for Mertens from any other federal investigation that may or may not be going on.
Mertens faces about two years in prison, according to the sentencing guidelines.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Wow
0
Sad
0
Angry
0
I am just an average American. My teen years were in the late 70s and I participated in all that that decade offered. Started working young, too young. Then I joined the Army before I graduated High School. I spent 25 years in, mostly in Infantry units. Since then I've worked in information technology positions all at small family owned companies. At this rate I'll never be a tech millionaire. When I was young I rode horses as much as I could. I do believe I should have been a cowboy. I'm getting in the saddle again by taking riding lessons and see where it goes.
Comments (0)